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"Heli" I started to remind her I wasn"t partic.i.p.ating but her hand up stopped me
"I know you"re afraid a.n.a.lise, but you are the only one who is powerful enough to defeat them. All of them" Helia sounded so sure of her words she almost convinced me. Key word being almost
"No, you"re wrong. I"ve only been a vampire for two years. I"m not strong enough to beat them!" I yelled getting frustrated by the whole thing. There are so many things running through mind I feel like I"m going to explode!
"That"s where you"re wrong a.n.a.lise. You have a crystal heart deep within that gives you abilities that have no limits" Helia said looking me dead in eye daring me to challenge her words. Which I gladly accepted the challenge
"How is that possible when anytime I use my ability it completely drains the life from me. I"m always weak after" I said challenging her to explain that. There"s no way for me to be so strong if one bolt knocks me out. Let"s hear her explain that one to me. Helia"s face changes to a mocking smile almost like she was waiting for me to say exactly what I just said.
"I"d hope you"d say that. Well a.n.a.lise the reason that happens is because you haven"t mated" Helia said with a raised brow
"What?!" I shot out. She couldn"t be serious. Helia glanced at Jace quickly but not quickly enough for me to miss it.
"Your powers are too strong and your body can"t handle the full use of them. Most supernatural creatures have a soul mate to ensure the survival of our kind. We mate with the person that we bond to in every way. The connection is intense and instant the moment you see your other half. In your case you need to mate because having a mate balances your powers and makes you stronger" Helia ended looking very proud of her self.
I on the other hand was losing it. I have a soul mate? Like an actual guy that was perfect for me in every way? The thought both thrilled and scared me. What if he doesn"t like me? What if I can"t find him? Or worse what if I already did.
"I have a mate. H-how do I find him?" I asked cautiously noticing for the first time how quiet Jace has been.
"Not a mate honey but 3. Three men will bare a symbol that marks them as yours. You will know when you meet one by the connection you feel towards him but if you are unsure just look for the symbol typically on the back of their neck" Helia ended returning to pot on the stove boiling over.
"Wait, why three? I thought people had a soulmate not soulmates?" I questioned. Helia reached into her cabinet pulling out some herbs to add to whatever she was cooking.
"You my dear are not typical. Three will have your mark and you will be drawn to each man. But it"s up to you which one to choose and complete the bonding" Helia explained. My stomach was tight with knots. My mind was on information overload. And I was hungry. This day is getting worse by the second
"Chose wisely because once you"ve chosen a mate it will unleash the full capacity of your powers which your mate will help balance for you so not to overwhelm your body" Helia added cutting another glance at Jace.
Jace was watching me intently like he was waiting for me to lose it. The moment was getting closer by the second.
Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head. It hit me so hard my knees almost buckled. The expression on my face changed and Jace was aware because he suddenly looked pale.
"Excuse us" I said sharply. Taking purposeful strides in his direction I grabbed his wrist and tugged him with me out the kitchen. We exited the front door into the cool night air.
"An" Jace"s words were stopped short by my hand slapping across his face. Jace"s head whipped to the side and he turned back to me stunned
"How long have you known?!" I practically screamed.
He rubbed his reddening cheek but didn"t respond. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. Still I needed to hear it. Just for confirmation I zipped around him and lifted the hair covering the back of his neck. Not to my surprise there was a small red symbol of intersecting swirls. It kind of looked like a heart with another one crossing through the first but the second was upside down. Jace stumbled away from me but he knew I"d already seen it.
"Tell me now Jace! How long?" I demanded
"Ana I"m sorry I never meant to hu-"
"Just answer my question" I interrupted angrily. Jace sighed heavily. He looked at me with sad eyes that made my insides ache. But I pushed it aside
"Since the first day I saw you when we were kids I knew you were my mate" he finally said.
Hearing the words out loud did nothing but make me feel worse. For years I felt drawn to him and didn"t understand why. But he knew the whole time yet he still chose to ignore me. Was I that fat and ugly that my own mate didn"t want to claim me? My heart was breaking in my chest but not for Jace for me. If this is how one mate will treat me what is there to be expected from the other two.
I didn"t even realize tears were falling until Jace"s warm fingers brushed them away. His gentle touched ignited a violent reaction from me and I slapped his hands away.
"Don"t touch me" I snapped adding distance between us. Jace eyes glossed with unshed tears and I cursed myself for feeling bad for him.
"Ana I"m so sorry I never told you but it was complicated" he said pleading for me to understand
"Complicated!" I shouted throwing my hands in the air. "Let me clear it up for you. You knew you were my mate yet you stood by for years watching me be bullied and tortured! To add insult to injury you dated my sister! The sp.a.w.n of Satan!" I was beyond p.i.s.sed. My powers were shimmering below the surface.
"No, please just let me explain. I never had any feelings for Kim it was all faked" he said reaching out to me. I stepped further away
"Ana before I moved here I used to live with my grandmother. She taught me the craft of a witch. See my mother hates what she is and didn"t want anything to do with being what we are. My mother wanted a normal life but she couldn"t force me to have one. So she sent me to my grandmother. It was good for a while but after my grams taught me how to ignite a flame I was addicted. I was just a kid who liked playing with fire.Until I went too far and brunt down half my school.
No one was hurt but I was freaked and I wanted to go back to my mother. My mom however, had one condition; no magic. If she caught me she would send me back and I wasn"t ready to face my grams so I agreed. When I first saw you I knew you were mine but I was young and scared. I was the new boy and didn"t think you would like me. That night I called grams and told her how I felt. She said you were probably my mate but to not worry about it yet and just be your friend.
The next day at school I was going to try to be friends with you. I waited outside after school but got bored by how long it was taking you to come out. So I started using magic to levitate some rocks. That"s when Kim caught me. She threatened to tell everyone what I did including my mom. I begged her not to and promised her I"d do anything. She told me she wouldn"t tell if I became her boyfriend and never speak to you" Jace ended his story staring at me with hopeful eyes.
What did he expect me to say? Oh Jace I understand and I forgive you! h.e.l.l no!
"You know I remember that first day you came to our school. I was nine years old and then I was happy. When I saw you my world stilled. All I wanted was to be closer to you. When I got home I couldn"t wait to share my first crush with my big sister" I paused thinking back to when I told Kim about Jace and the evil look that came over her face.
"Kim laughed at me and said you would never choose me when you could have her. After that everything changed. Kim started teasing me and you ignored me. I gained weight and fell into depression until Simon moved here. At least now I know the full story. You"re the reason my sister turned on me. I don"t blame you but I can"t forgive you either" I said. Giving my back to Jace I began to walk away but his hand on mine stopped me.
"Please Ana give me a chance to prove that I"m not that guy anymore" he begged. I scoffed, ripping my hand away
"Not that guy anymore? Tell me Jace which guy aren"t you? The guy that allows a ten year old to blackmail him for seven years?! Or the guy that stands by while the woman that"s supposed to be his everything suffers?!" I yelled getting hysterical. A wild wind whipped through the air around us. I"m sure I was causing it
"I will never forgive myself for what I did to you back then Ana. I used to think that after high school I would dump Kim and tell you the truth but after you left I realized how foolish I was. I took you for granted and I"m sorry." Jace hung his head and I knew tears escaped his eyes because even though I couldn"t see them I smelt them. A small part of me felt pain for him but another larger part was just mad as h.e.l.l!
"I have just one more question for you?" I said. Jace looked up at me with small glimmer of hope. "How long have you"ve known I was a vampire?" His expression changed to disappointment at my change of subject. He shook it off quickly
"Uh I kind of thought you were supernatural when you disappeared that day in the rain when you argued with Simon. I thought a vampire when I first saw you but your blue eyes threw me off. It wasn"t until tonight when the vortex screen displayed Celeste that I knew for sure" Jace told me.
I nodded and walked away having nothing else to say to him.
"I won"t give up! I will fight for you Ana until my last breath!" Jace called at my retreating back.
If my heart could beat it would have skipped at that moment. It felt good to have him declare that but even still I don"t know what he could do fix the heart in my chest he broke...
Seb Pov
"We should be leaving here soon okay? Bye" Seb closed his cell phone ending the conversation with his little sister.
Marie seemed to be okay and there haven"t been any signs of Talon or Marcos. Seb was sure they didn"t have that big of a head start on Talon so the sooner they leave this town the safer they would be.
While talking to Marie he didn"t even notice that he had wandered a ways from the cabin and was now in the woods. Slowly he began to make his way back.
Seb was so happy that Ana was safe and back in the right realm. Having her gone like that scared some sense into him. He vowed that tonight when they returned to the motel he would pull her aside and declare his love. He needed her like he needed his next breath and he wouldn"t let his own doubts keep Ana from knowing that. He"d already screwed up twice, he wouldn"t allow a third. Seb could only hope that she will forgive him and give him the chance he so desperately desired.
When he reached the edge of the forest he saw Ana and Jace standing in front of the cabin. Ana"s back was to him but he could tell she was tense. He inched closer to hear what they were saying
"Since the first day I saw you when we were kids I knew you were my mate" Jace said.
Seb"s heart seized to beat in his chest. All the blood was rushing to his ears and he couldn"t hear anything else. Seb backed away into the dark recesses of the forest not wanting to see anything else.
Jace is Ana"s mate?
The image of the two of them kissing kept violently attacking his brain. Before he knew it he was sprinting through the woods.
Ana has a mate, and it"s not him. The pain that caused inside made him want to break down. But he wouldn"t allow it. Seb couldn"t believe the only girl he has ever loved is destined to be with another. It"s not fair! That half witch isn"t the best choice for her! But what could he do now? Vampires have that one soul mate and they will always choose it over anything else. Seb didn"t stand a chance against it.
He stopped running trying to catch his breath. This isn"t supposed to happen like this. He loved her. He needed her. What is going to do now? He can"t stay and watch her be with that Jace. Seb also knew he would never leave her side with so much danger surrounding her.
He punched the nearest tree so hard the branches shook. He ignored the pain in his hand because it didn"t compare to the pain in his chest. Seb loved Ana and even if it hurt he would swallow his pride and still protect her until she no longer needed him. And only then would he leave her to mend his broken heart.
Seb stood in the center of the woods, head to the sky and swallowed the lump in his throat. After a few minutes he composed himself and began walking back to the cabin
To his surprise Ana and Jace weren"t out there kissing. Ana wasn"t even there at all but Jace stood in the same spot lost in thought
"Where"s Ana?" Seb asked when he closed the distance. Jace looked startled to see him at first
"Oh uh she"s inside" Jace replied.
Seb noticed a sadness about the witch but didn"t question it. He walked back inside and could hear Jace following behind him. They guys walked back into the kitchen where Ana and Helia stood talking. Helia"s eyes lit up when she looked at Seb
"Oh Sebastian I"m so glad your back" Helia said dashing over to her pot. She used a wooden spoon to pour some of the contents into a tea cup. Helia carried the cup over to Seb and handed it to him
"What"s this?" he asked not liking the smell at all
"It"s you keeping up your end of the deal. Now drink up" Helia answered.
Seb made the mistake of looking at Ana. He concerned face looked adorable and yet it made his heart ache. He shook it off and took a huge gulp of the nasty bitter drink. Helia was watching him very closely like she was waiting for something.
"How are you feeling?" Helia asked slowly. Just as Seb was about to say fine, an uncomfortable burn began in his chest. In seconds it increased. He clutched his chest dropping the tea cup to the ground where it shattered. Ana rushed to his side. The burning increased further and that"s when all h.e.l.l broke loose…
Ana Pov.
"It"s you keeping up your end of the deal. Now drink up" Helia said to Seb after handing him some of that weird broth she"s been making all night.
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#Tobecontinued....